Combination stop mechanism for organs and the like



AUS- 20 19,29- F. J. FLAHERTY 1,725,706

CO-HBNATION STOP MECHANISI FOR ORGANS AND THE LIKE VFiled June 4, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @ig/j 21u00/nio@ N f/wm Aug. 20; 1929. F, J, FLAHERTY 1,725,706

COMBINATION s'roP MEGHANISM Fon ORG/ms AND THE LIKE Filed June 4, 1.925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 @afg/May.

Y atroz nu! Patented Aug. 20, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK J'. FLAHERTY, 0F WOODSTOCK VALLEY, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T WELTEJVIIGNON CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

COMBINATION STOP MECHANISM FOR ORGANS AND THE LIKE.

Application led .Tune 4, 1925.

In an application executed by me of even date herewith and numbered serially 34,971 I have shown, described and generically claimed three embodiments of combination stop actions.

The present application has particular' relation to one of the embodiments shown, described and generically claimed in the aforesaid application, namely, to that particular embodiment of the invention in which the slides have two distinct phases otmovement in the same direction imparted to them by manually operable plungers or other suitable devices connected to the slides, respectively. by mechanical means instead of by means of an electro-pneumatic nature, and in which there are stop means which are yieldably pressed into the path of said slides to be engaged thereby at the places at which the movements of the slides, respectively, for the playing' operations are completed and which move with said slides during the remainder of the travel of the latter for the setting operation, until their movement and the movement of the corresponding slides are stopped by a wall of the enclosing; structure.

In the accompanying' drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding' parts in the several views Figi'. l is a perspective view of the particular embodiment upon whiea this invention is founded.

Fig. 2 is a front view partly in section of one end of the combination stop action.

Fim is a view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

4 is a detail view to illustrate the preferred mechanical connection between the manually operable controlling' member and its corresponding combination operatingr element.

-14, inclusive, designate stop keys which may be of any suitable kind, the ones illustrated being' the pivoted tablets now preferred for use in the modern pipe organ. These stop keys are individually pivoted upon a common stationary shaft so as to be severally movable about the shaft into on or off position, by the organist. They govern communication of the sets or 2evroups of tone emitting elements, couplers, tremulants ete., respectively, with the wind system of the organ, it being understood in this connection that when the outer end of any tablet Serial No. 34,972.

is depressed to its on position the particular stopr controlled thereby is operative and that when the outer end of said tablet is raised to its olf position the particular stop controlled thereby is inoperative.

Since the tone emittingr elements, couplers, swells etc., through which they have communieation with the wind system of the organ and the means operable under cont-rol of the stop keys to control said means of communication form no partof the present invention and are well known in t-he art, they have not been herein illust-rated and need not be particularly described.

Each stop key is provided, as usual, with a spring a' (shown best in Fig. 3) operatively related thereto to throw the key to either its on or oit position when it has passed a positionl midway between the two, the-se springs thereby operating` to hold the keys against accidental displacement from their set positions, either on or ott It will, of course, be understood that the number of stops and st-op keys varies in different organs and that each stop included in the organ will have its appropriate stop key, and, further, that wherever the term stop stop keys is used herein, it is intended to include not only those stops which have reference to speaking pipes or tone emitting;` elements, but also to the mechanical stops, as swells, couplers etc., which may be incorporated in the instrument.

A series of shafts 16 corresponding to the respective stop keys have their' outer ends suit-ably connected to the inner ends of the latter, the means shown for this purpose comprising cranks 17 and links 18. Each of these shafts is provided along' its length with a series of actuators B, each comprising two complementary members, marked 19 and Q0, respectively. One member, as 19, of each actuating element is fixed on its shaft 16 and the other member, 20, is supported by said shaft and has pivotal movement relatively thereto.

Each of these actuators also has at each of its ends a means indicated at b, b operative automatically to releasably lock their corresponding ends to each other when said ends have been brought into juxtaposition: suitable means for this purpose eouiprisingf cupshaped recesses and corresponding projections adapted to interengage when in registering position and to be disengaged by pressure applied to move one member relatively to one and corresponding depressions 2) in the other. lt is preferred in practice that each member 19 becomposed of two sides spaced from each other to receive the complementary member 20between them. Attention is called to the fact that the members 19 and 2O of each actuator are. relatively so shaped, that between the two extremes of their relative movement they will be free from any locking engagement one with the other and when at either extremel of their' relative movement they will be locked'to each other at the corresponding end of the actuator and free from engagement with each other at the other end of the actuator.

It will be understood that there is a shaft 15 for every stop key, and that each shaft is so connected with thecorresponding stop key that the shaft and its stop key will rock synchronously whenever rocking` movement is 'imparted either to the stop key by the finger of the organist on said key or by pressure applied to the appropriate actuator Pressure is applied to the actuators to move the corresponding stop keys by a means which includes combination operating elements here shown as a series of slides A, each of which comprises two members 21 and 22 arrano'ed'on opposite sides of all of the ,shafts 1G and connected with each other for unitary movement, as by the end strips 28 and The number of these slides varies accordance with the number of different combinations: which the instrument is construct-ed to provide for at any one time. Each slide is suitably pressed resiliently outn ward, as by means of a spring such as shown X in Fig. 2. Each has one of its longitudinal members provided with a series of lateral projections 25 and its other longitu- Vdinal member provided with a like series of lateral projections 26. The series of projections 25, and also the series of projections 26, on each slide, correspond in number with the number of shafts 16, and the projections 25 are operatively related to one end of the respective actuators B while the projections 26 are operatively related to the other ends of said actuators. rlhe co-operative action of the projections and actuators will be hereinafter set forth. ln the construction'illustrated each slide A is formed of a flat plate and a longitudinal member 27 of greater thickness than the plate: said plate having a longitudinal opening 28 bounded 'by the members 21 and 22 and'end st 1ips 23 and 24 andfsaid longitudinal Imember 27 being` areferably of rounded cross section and tixedly secured to the lower edge of the plate and havingr an end portion or member, 29, projecting` outwardly therefrom beyond the vertical plane of the end 24 of the plate. In the illustrated construct-ion the projection 29 of the several slides form bearing elements through which thel respective slides have their inner ends supported by an inner wall l) of the chamber in which the action is mounted. This wall is pivoted at d.

ln the operation of preparinga combination, the particular slide A which has been selected to operate the combination is moved inward relatively tothe actuators B to place the slide A in such position with relation to the corresponding actuators B that its projections will substantially engage the protruding` ends of the members 20 of said actuators. lVhile the parts are` in this position, the outer ends of the stop keys corresponding` to the particular stops which are to come ion7 are pressed downward to their fullest extent, while the outer ends of the stop keys which are to go off under control of this slide are pressed up to their fullest extent, and the outer ends of those keys which are to be neutral in this particular combination, are moved to a mid-position. The described movemcnt of the key or keys corresponding to the stop or stops which are to come on turns the corresponding shaft or sha ts 16 and actuator-members 19 and since the members 2O of said actuators are held by the projections 25, 26 against movement at this time, it follows that the lower ends of the actuatoranembers 19 will be brought into juxtaposition with the lower ends of the actuator-members 20. Vrrhe parts are so correlated that at the end of this movement of the stop key or keys the holding elements at the lower ends of the correspending.;I actuator-members will snap into engagementwith each other so as to hold these ends togeth r. The described movement of the key or keys corresponding' to the stops which are to go off under cont-rol of this particular slide, turns the corresponding shaft or shafts 1S .and actuating member or .menbers 19, rela-tively to the corresponding member or members 2O and causes these members to beV locked together at their upper ends instead of at their lower ends: and the described movement of stop key or keys to mideposition places the slide and the actuator or actuators corresponding to the keys so moved, insuch relation that no movement of the slide will be communicated to said actuators.

By way of concrete examples: let us as-.

selected to operate this combination is actuated; while in another combination, identified as combination No. 2, the stops controlled by keys 10, 11 and 13 are to come on and the stops controlled by keys 12 and 14 are to go ott when the particular slide A selected for this operation is operated; and in still another combination, identified as combination No. 3, the stops controlled by key is to remain neutral, while the stops controlled by keys 12 and 14 are to come on7 and the stops controlled by keys 11 and 13 are to go otPr the organist in preparing these combinations, proceeds as follows:

y The paritcular slide which is to operate the first combination is moved inward and while in said position the organistpresses the outer ends of stop keys 10 and 12 downward as far as they will go and all other stop keys upward as far as they will go: in preparing combination N o. 2 he similarly presses the outer ends of stop keys 10, 11 and 13 downward and the remaining stop keys upward, while the slide which controls this combination is in its inner position; and in preparing combination No. 3 he places stop key No. 10 in a mid-position, presses stop keys Nos. 12 and 14 downward to their fullest extent and stop keys 11 and 13 upward to their fullest extent, while the selected slide is in its inner position. As already describet, in preparing the first combination the members 19 and 20 of the actuators corresponding to keys 10 and 12 were locked to each other at their lower ends, while the members 19 and 20 of the actuators corersponding to keys 11, 13 and 14 were locked to each other at their upper ends; and that in preparing combination number 2, the actuators corresponding to keys 10, 11 and 13 have their members 19 and 20 locked to each other at their lower ends, while the similar members of the actuators corresponding to keys 12 and 14 are locked together at their upper ends; and that in preparing combination No. 3 the members of the actuators corresponding to keys 12 and 14 are locked together at their lower ends, the members corresponding,r to keys 11 and 13 are locked to each other at their upper ends, while the members of the actuators corresponding to key 10 will be free from each other at both ends of said actuator'.

Of course, it will be understood that when each combination has been prepared the slide which has been selected to operate said combination and which was held inward while the combination was being prepared, is released and thereupon will be returned to its outer position by its spring X.

From the foregoing it will be clear that if the particular slide selected to operate or control the first combination be thereafter pressed inward it will act upon the lower,

locked together, ends of the actuators corresponding to keys numbers 10 and 12 and `upon the upper, locked together, ends oi the actuators corresponding to keys 11, 13 and 14 in such manner as to cause the stops corresponding to keys 10 and 12 to speak, and the others to discontinue speaking, if they were on7 or to remain oft if they were already off, it, of course, being understood that in this operation the keys 10 and 12 are moved to their on position and the keys 11, 13 and 14 moved to their oit position, iii on at this time, by the cti-operative action of the said slide and actuators; and similarly that when in the playing of the organ the particular slide selected to operate the control combination No. 2 is moved inward it will act upon the lower, locked together, ends of the actuators corresponding to keys 1 0, 11 and 13 in such manner as to bring said keys into on position and upon the upper locked together ends of the actuators corresponding to keys 12 and 14 to move them to off position; and, finally, that when the slide selected to operate or control combination No. 3 is moved inward by the organist to bring this combination into operation, stop keys 12 and 14 are lowered to on position and stop keys 11 and 13 are raised to off position, by the co-operative action of said slide and the actuators corresponding to said keys, while the slide will have no effect whatever upon the actuators corresponding to key 10 and hence the stop controlled by said key will remain on if already on or olli if it was off at this moment.

As thus far described the invention is identical with parts shown, described and claimed in my companion application, Serial No. 34,971, the parts which constitute the novel features of this invention, as already stated, having to do with a means for operating each slide without the intervention of power pneumatics or electrical controls.

This means comprises a plunger for each slide, connected with the latter by a bell crank lever, one arm (101) of which is pivoted to the inner end of a projection 100 from the plunger, and the other arm (102) of which is pivoted to one end of an arm 103 whose other' end is pivoted, at 104, to an end ot the corresponding slide A. Each bell cra-nk lever is pivoted at 105 to an appropriate part of the organ structure.

It is beneficial, particularly in a construction such as that herein exemplified which contains provision i'or a neutral setting, to provide for an extent of travel oi each slide in the combination-setting operation additional to that thereailter required in bringing the stops into on or ott position. The additional extent of travel in the setting operation will avoid all liability of any fluttering of those stops which are in neutral position when a combination slide is operated for a playing operation, and since m such case means should be employed to define the phases of inward movement of the slides, there may be and preferably is employed for the latter purpose, a. stop means,

as the Wall D, resiliently pressed forward, by a spring or springs 201, into the path oi rearward movement of the slide. The correlation ot the slide and stop is such that when the slide and stop are both in their' forward positions, they Will be separated a distance vviich permits Ythe slide to traverse a first phase oi inward movement in the setting operation, before it comes into contact with the' stop, the second phase of: in-

lt is apparent that there may be one stop common to all the slides, or a separate stop 'for each slide, as desired. ln other vords, the stop may be a continuous member, different portions of Whose length are in operative relation with the slides, respectively, or in lieu of such continuous member, there may be employedV a series oi independently movable stops tor the series of independently movable stops 'for the series of independently movable slides, respectively.

It will also be apparent that the construction illustratedk is merely exemplary and that the details may be variously changed and the invention otherwise and variousliyl embodied Without departure Jfrom its spirit as' delined by appended claims.

For example: any means suitable to impart the necessary movements to the respectiverslides may be employed in lieu ot the plungers 100 and their illustrated connections to the slides, it being particularly noticeable in this connection that separate operating elements may be provided for the respective tvvo movements of each slide, instead of one operating element (plunger 100)'for both movements, if preferred.

Having thus described the invention what l believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A combination stop action for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a movable member Whose path of travel in the setting operation is dili'erent from that in the operation ot the combination and means oper-v atively related to said movable member to indicate the place in its travel at which the combination corresponding to said member is operative.

2. A combination stop action for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a. movable member Whose limits of travel in the setting operation are diii'ercnt Yfrom those in the operation or" the combination and means operatively related to said movable member to indicate the said limit-s ot' its travel.

3. A combination stop action for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including movable member Whose limits ot travel in the setting operation are different from those in the operation of the combination and a` yieldable member movable within defined llimits and operatively related to said movable member to Vindicate the said limits ot' its travel.

4e. A combination stop action for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a movable member Whose path of travel in the setting operation includes and extends beyond its path of travel in the operation oi the corresponding combination for playing purposes,

and a member operatively related to saidk movable member to indicate the point reached by the latter to cause the operation of the corresponding combination. A

5. A combination 'stop action for organs or the like comprising combination se :ting and operating means including a m vable member Whose path of travel in the setting operation includes and extends beyond its path of travel in the operation of the corresponding combination for playing purposes and a yieldable stop member arranged in the path of said movablel member at a place to be engaged by the latter When the combination corresponding to said movable member is operative.

6. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a yieldable stop member normally spaced Jfrom and in the path of movement Vof a member of said means, to be engaged thereby when o-perating the. combination and to have movement therewith in the setting ot the combination.

7 A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like including a member having slidable movement when setting the combination and when operating the combination 'for playing purposes, and a yieldable stop member arranged in the path otl movement of said slidable member and delining said movement When setting and when operating the combination.

8. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a slidable member, a device connected to said member to impart sliding movement thereto and a yieldable stop member arranged to be engaged by said member at the place in the travel thereof at which the corresponding combination is operative.

9. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a slidable member, a manually operable plunger mechanically connected to said member to impart sliding movement thereto and a yieldable stop member to be engaged by Said member at the place in the travel thereof at which the corresponding combination is operative.

l0. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like, comprising` actuators settable into on position, oit position, or neutral position, and means including stop keys and combination operating elements to set any of said actuators into position in which the corresponding stop will come on or go off under control of the combination operating elements or be unaffected by the operation of the latter, said combination operating elements having diiierent paths of travel in the playing and setting operations, respectively, and means respectively in the paths of travel of said elements, to intricate the places in the travel of said elements at which the combination controlled thereby are operative.

1l. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like, comprising reversibly operative actuators, respectively, settable also to a neutral position, relatively movable setting and operating elements operatively connected with eachactuator, one of said elements having an extent of movement in the setting operation greater than that for the playing operation, and a yieldable member to engage the latter element at the place where the movement oi Said element for the playing operation is completed.

12. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like, comprising reversibly operative actuators, respectively, settable also to a neutral position, relatively movable setting and operating elements operatively connected with each actuator, one of said elements being slidable and having an extent of movement in the setting operation greater than that for the playing operation, and a yieldable member arranged in the path of the later element at the place where the movement ot said element is completed and movable therewith throughout the remainder of its movement, for the setting operation.

13. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a movable member whose path of travel in the setting operation is diiterent from that in the operation of the combination, a manually operable plunger, mechanical connections between said plunger and the movable member and means to press the movable member and plunger resiliently outward.

14. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like comprising combination setting and operating means including a movable member whose path of travel in the setting operation is diti'erent from that in the operation ot the combination, a manually operable plunger, mechanical connections between said plunger and the movable member, means 'to press the movable member and plunger resiliently outward and a yieldable stop member operatively related to the movable member to indicate by the additional pressure required to overcome its tension the place in the 'travel ot said movable inember which the combination corresponding to said member is operative.

15. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like including a member having slidable movement in one direction when setting the combination and in the same direction when operating the combination tor playing purposes, a resilient means to move said member in the opposite direction, operating means connected to said member and operative to move it against the tension ot the resilient means, and a resilient stop operatively related to said slidable member to define its movement produced by operation of the operating means.

16. A combination stop mechanism for organs or the like including a member having slidable mov-ement in one direction when setting the combination and in the same direction when operating the combination for playing purposes, a resilient means to move said member in the opposite direction, a plunger, a mechanical connection between the plunger and the slidable member, to impart sliding movement to the latter against the tension of the resilient means when the plunger is operated, and a resilient stop operatively related to said slidable member to define its movement produced by operation of the plunger and said connections.

17. A combination stop mechanism tor organs or the like including a member having slidable movement in one direction when setting the combination and in the same direction when operating the combination for playing purposes, a resilient means to move said member in the opposite direction, operating means connected to said member and operative to move it against the tension of the resilient means, a pivoted stop member and a resilient means to hold the stop member in the path traversed by the slidable member in the setting of the combination and in the operation oi the combination for playing purposes.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

FREDERICK J. FLAHERTY. 

